Jimmer Fredette to Spurs and July 22nd’s Top NBA News

The ugly part of NBA free agency has hit, where loads of third level players are starting to help fill out rosters. Most of the names are recognizable, but don’t really deserve their own platform in the media. We’ll save everyone from the hassle and just include all of the top low-level signings that went down on July 22nd.

Free the Jimmer

The one that takes the cake could be Jimmer Fredette to San Antonio. The two sides only agreed to a training camp deal, but there was some guaranteed money involved and the Spurs definitely are in need of some outside shooting.

Fredette was paltry from outside last year as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans (19% on 48 threes), but he never had a concrete role and clearly never got comfortable. Otherwise a strong 40% shooter from deep for his career, Fredette correctly warranted a second look. The Spurs are a pretty scary judge of talent, so even a small amount of interest from them should tell you they think Fredette might still have something.

Should Fredette make the final roster, he would provide great outside shooting on paper and could even help at the point. With Cory Joseph and Marco Bellinelli leaving the team in free agency, there’s a solid chance The Jimmer sticks in Texas.

RJ Spurns Mavs

DeAndre Jordan isn’t the only player to back out on a deal with the Dallas Mavericks this year. Small forward Richard Jefferson joined the two-man crew, but reportedly consulted with Dallas owner Mark Cuban before doing so (DJ didn’t).

Instead of rolling with a Mavs team that suddenly doesn’t look like a title contender, the aging Jefferson opted to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That was probably the right call.

Pablo to L.A.

Another solid signing comes out of Los Angeles, as the Clippers continue to fill out a vastly improved roster with point guard Pablo Prigioni. Prigs is not an offensive stalwart, but he’s a pesky defender and simply tends to make plays in crunch time. He’ll see limited action behind Chris Paul, but could be a very nice (and sneaky) depth add for the veteran’s minimum.

Psycho T to Charlotte

Tyler Hansbrough went through the first two stages of free agency without a whiff of interest, but finally latched on with the Charlotte Hornets today. It’s an odd pairing given that the Hornets already have two young big men they like in Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller, but it’s still a solid depth addition on the surface.

Psycho T has never shot like a four, but he can still hit open mid-range jumpers and clean the glass. He’s also a total hustle guy, so if the Hornets wanted to fill out their roster with a guy who will at the very worst try his damndest, they picked a good guy to do it.

Stephen’s Lil’ Bro

Stephen Curry took the league over in 2014, as he was the league MVP award and went on to lead his Golden State Warriors to their first title in 40 years. Little brother Seth Curry hung around for the ride and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. He had so much fun, in fact, he decided to give his career another go this summer.

The younger Curry proceeded to absolutely crush it during summer league action and ended up landing a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings. He’s buried behind the likes of Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison, but the kid can flat out score and could be someone to track this year.

Perk a Pelican

Kendrick Perkins is basically just a big, meaty mass at this point in his career, but it’s still notable that he signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pellies are completely set up front with Anthony Davis, Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca locked down, but Perkins is quality end-of-the-bench depth.